Environmental Actions Undertaken in 2025

These activities are grounded in the principles of sustainable development and include the implementation of educational and environmental projects, cooperation with local communities, and the integration of environmental considerations into the investment process, ensuring a harmonious balance between the needs of people and nature.

Polenergia consistently supports municipalities and schools in the implementation of environmental initiatives, primarily through the revitalisation of green areas and the creation of new green spaces. In 2025, local environmental projects were co-financed, including the purchase of tree and shrub seedlings, ornamental plants, as well as elements of small-scale infrastructure such as insect hotels and birdhouses.

The Polenergia Group also provided financial support to an initiative run by the “Four Paws” Association (located in the Dębsk Wind Farm area), which involved spaying and neutering dogs, providing specialised treatment for elderly animals, microchipping dogs, and working with animal behaviourists.

The objective of these environmental projects is not only to improve the local condition of flora and fauna, but also to promote biodiversity and encourage local communities to take action to protect nature.

As part of the Polenergia Group’s employee volunteering programme WE HAVE THE POWER!, two events aimed at protecting rivers and aquatic ecosystems were organised in 2025.

The first Eco Kayak Clean-Up took place on 6 June 2025 on the Trzebośnica River near the Nowa Sarzyna Combined Heat and Power Plant, while the second event was held on 28 June 2025 on the scenic Liwiec River. Nearly 90 volunteers participated in both events, collecting approximately 240 kg of waste in total. The collected waste was handed over to appropriate entities for proper disposal.

These initiatives not only contributed to the protection of local rivers but also enabled participants to actively engage in pro-environmental actions.

The initiative is an excellent example of the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14 – Life Below Water, which aims to protect oceans, seas and marine resources that are crucial for climate regulation and the preservation of global biodiversity.

Due to the strong interest in the events and their environmental value, the Eco Kayak Clean-Ups will be continued in future seasons. The Eco Kayak Clean-Ups are described in more detail on the Group’s ESG website: Together for cleaner rivers – Polenergia Group’s Eco-Rafting in the spirit of sustainable development

During the planning and implementation of its projects, the Polenergia Group places particular emphasis on environmental protection. Site selection is preceded by environmental analyses and pre-construction monitoring of birds and bats in the case of wind farm projects, as well as comprehensive environmental inventories for each project under development. The construction phase is subject to environmental supervision conducted by experienced naturalists with many years of professional expertise.

Environmental supervision also forms the basis for the development of locally tailored projects aimed at supporting and restoring local biodiversity, including meadow ecosystems. As a result, Polenergia Group projects are aligned with local environmental and natural conditions, supporting the development of native plant and animal species identified by environmental experts.

In line with good practice, the Polenergia Group conducts pre-investment monitoring and comprehensive environmental supervision during the construction of each project in order to minimise environmental impacts. As part of activities supporting the protection of biodiversity in the area of the Szprotawa Photovoltaic Farm, in August 2025 mowing was carried out across 30 hectares of meadows and reed beds within the Przemków Landscape Park.

The works were conducted within the ecological site known as “Przemkowskie Bagno”. The mowing was performed in summer as part of Polenergia’s local engagement, together with its partner TELE-FONIKA Kable, in connection with the commissioning of the new Szprotawa Photovoltaic Farm. The initiative was implemented in cooperation with the Lower Silesian Landscape Parks Complex and a local agricultural holding.

The objective of the mowing activities was to maintain the proper condition of habitats and to protect valuable species. Regular mowing prevents excessive shrub encroachment and the formation of uniform habitats. As a result, it helps preserve diverse meadow vegetation, which provides important breeding grounds for many bird species.

In 2025, the area between the photovoltaic panels at the Szprotawa Photovoltaic Farm was sown with a meadow plant seed mix. The established wildflower meadow is intended to create favourable conditions for pollinating insects, enhance biodiversity, and naturally strengthen the ecosystem surrounding the photovoltaic installation over time.

Prior to the commencement of construction works at the Rajkowy Photovoltaic Farm, a Coordination Meeting was held in August 2025. The meeting was attended by representatives of the Polenergia Group from the Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, Health and Safety, Onshore Development and Construction, and Operations departments, as well as representatives of the Contract Engineer and the General Contractor.

Representatives of the Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development Department presented the requirements arising from applicable legal regulations, the environmental decision issued for the investment, and non-regulatory commitments, including requirements imposed by financial institutions, Polenergia Group partners, and the Group’s internal policies and strategies. These include the Sustainable Development Strategy 2023–2030, the Environmental and Social Policy, the Social Communication Plan, the Community Engagement Policy, the Complaints and Grievances Procedure, the Biodiversity Strategy, and the Code of Ethics.

An Environmental and Social Action Plan (ESAP) was also developed for the investment and attached as an annex to the agreement with the General Contractor.

In line with Polenergia Group’s good practice, environmental supervision is conducted at the construction site to protect nature and minimise the environmental impact of the investment. This supervision ensures compliance with applicable regulations, enables prompt responses to environmental risks, and identifies mitigation measures that can be implemented during the construction phase. Following the completion of supervision, the contractor provides recommendations for additional active conservation measures tailored to the specific site and its surroundings in order to enhance local biodiversity.

Additionally, the Rajkowy Photovoltaic Farm site was subject to a pre-construction environmental inventory from September 2024 to March 2025, allowing for a comprehensive assessment of the area’s biodiversity. This will enable a comparison of environmental conditions following the construction phase with the baseline impact assessment, taking into account the mitigation measures implemented during construction.

For the Rajkowy Photovoltaic Farm, the environmental supervision contractor is also preparing a Biodiversity Management Plan (BMP). This is a pilot project within the Polenergia Group and aims to define conservation measures while simultaneously enhancing biodiversity for the specific location and its surrounding area. The outcome of the BMP will be a detailed action plan, including technical guidelines, an implementation schedule, and success indicators for the long-term ecological sustainability of the implemented measures.

At the beginning of 2025, the Polenergia Group and the University of Zielona Góra jointly published a scientific study dedicated to the environmental impact of photovoltaic farms. The book, entitled “Green Potential: Photovoltaics as an Example of Renewable Energy Supporting Biodiversity”, is the result of research conducted by scientists from the University of Zielona Góra and the League for Nature Conservation at the Polenergia Photovoltaic Farm Complex in Sulechów.

The publication summarises studies of areas not covered by photovoltaic panels, where a 50-hectare pasture meadow with flowering species was established. The published research confirmed the presence of numerous protected plant and animal species, as well as the rapid development of ecological interdependencies between them. Such biodiversity growth is made possible by changes in project management implemented consistently and consciously over the years. It is also the result of the development and implementation of the Group’s policies and strategies, including the Biodiversity Strategy and the Environmental and Social Policy of the Polenergia Group.

In 2025, researchers from the University of Zielona Góra continued studies focused on bats and invertebrates. Ongoing field observations led to the identification of additional bee species previously unrecorded in the area, as well as new nests, indicating the continued development of local biodiversity.

The insect hotel located at the photovoltaic farm also attracted new occupants. Initially inhabited exclusively by the red mason bee (Osmia bicornis), from 2025 onwards it has also been extensively colonised by the sculptured resin bee (Heriades truncorum) and individuals of the cuckoo bee Stelis breviuscula.

Further research is planned for 2026 in order to continue exploring and monitoring the biological diversity of the Sulechów Photovoltaic Farm Complex.

At the end of 2023, the Polenergia Group became the owner of a 6.75-hectare agricultural plot located in the rural area of the Puck Municipality. A decision issued on behalf of the Director General of the National Support Centre for Agriculture imposed an obligation to maintain the land’s existing agricultural character.

Previously, the plot had been used for cereal cultivation. In order to enhance local biodiversity, the Group consulted representatives of organisations promoting sustainable and regenerative agriculture, including European Carbon Farmers, as well as scientists from the Faculty of Biology at the University of Gdańsk, to assess potential land management options.

In April 2025, a selectively composed mix of plant species was sown to establish a fresh meadow covering 6.75 hectares within the Puck Wind Farm area. The seed mix included species occurring naturally in the Gdańsk Pomerania region—native and permanently established species. This selection, together with spontaneously emerging meadow species, aims to partially restore vegetation typical of the region.

Ultimately, the meadow is intended to correspond to the natural habitat type coded 6510 – Lowland and mountain hay meadows (Arrhenatherion elatioris), thereby creating and maintaining a habitat that has already disappeared in many parts of Europe. This initiative will positively contribute to the preservation of local plant species diversity.

The sowing was preceded by necessary agrotechnical works to prepare the soil and remove post-harvest residues from previous cultivation. Subsequently, in accordance with an expert opinion prepared by the University of Gdańsk, the area was mown twice.

The 2025 season of the Meadow Harrier Active Protection Programme, implemented by Polenergia’s Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development Department since 2014, delivered further successes in protecting this exceptional bird of prey species.

In the vicinity of the Łukaszów, Modlikowice, Grabowo, Dębsk and Kostomłoty Wind Farms, ornithologists identified 11 Meadow Harrier nests located in arable fields and meadows, 6 of which were secured against predators and agricultural machinery. These measures resulted in the ringing of 11 chicks, enabling further monitoring of their migration routes and survival.

Additionally, feedback was obtained from rings of three harriers marked in previous years. A male ringed in 2023 at the Modlikowice Wind Farm returned to the same breeding territory. An individual ringed in 2018 was recorded as a breeding bird in Germany, approximately 500 km from its hatching site, while a male ringed in 2019 was observed 170 km away, in the Greater Poland Voivodeship.

These observations confirm the effectiveness of the conservation measures implemented and indicate the programme’s positive impact on the species’ population.

In the Dębsk Wind Farm area, the nests were not secured with protective fencing, as agricultural activities during the harvest period were delayed due to rainfall and therefore did not pose a threat to the nests. As a result, no additional protective measures were required.

Since the launch of the Meadow Harrier Protection Programme in 2014, a total of 169 chicks have been secured. As part of the programme, nests have been protected with fencing, chicks have been ringed, and other individually tailored conservation measures have been implemented.